Reviews of Alex Bollen’s New Book

In March this year, Alex Bollen (History, 1991), representative for women who matriculated in the 1990s, published her first book 'Motherdom: Breaking Free from Bad Science and Good Mother Myths' to excellent reviews:

Lit Hub: “The specter of the Bad Mother looms over every bleary-eyed and terrified new mom. In this book, researcher and mother Alex Bollen digs into the real stories behind the nebulous studies and perceptions that shape societal notions about motherhood. She also proposes a new model of motherhood, “motherdom,” with which she aims to expand our conception of “good” child-rearing. I can think of countless people, mothers and not, in desperate need of this book.”

The Washington Post: “[Motherdom] combines memoir and history to show how punishing expectations continue to devastate new mothers...a thorough investigation into the intense pressures mothers face.”

Publishers Weekly: “Intriguing debut… a satisfying revolt against holier-than-thou moralizing around mothers.”

The Millions: “Parenting is difficult enough without dealing with myths of what it means to be a good mother. I who often felt like a failure as a mother appreciate Bollen’s focus on a more realistic approach to parenting.”

Perhaps the most prestigious endorsement came form the New Scientist, which listed 'Motherdom' as one of “The best popular science books to look forward to in 2025” and wrote that the book “…is a dismantling of the myths, moral judgements and shaky science that have led to today’s prescriptive guidelines… its critique of the undue emphasis placed on the need for a mother to shape her baby’s brain makes compelling reading.”

The Women’s Network published its own review of the book in the Hilary Newsletter in which we thoroughly recommend it.

We wish Alex and 'Motherdom' continued success.

Dr Kate Molesworth (Chair of the SJC Women's Network)